TWI413513B - Oral care fluid delivery system - Google Patents

Abstract

An oral care implement having a fluid dispensing system for dispensing an oral care fluid. In one embodiment, the oral care implement may be a toothbrush including a handle, a neck and a head containing a plurality of tooth cleaning elements. Embodiments of the toothbrush further include a removable container or reservoir including a collapsible bladder that holds the oral care fluid. The bladder is in fluid communication with one or more fluid dispensing outlets disposed in the head. A manually actuated pump disposed in the handle provides the motive force for dispensing the fluid.

Description

Oral health fluid delivery system

The present invention relates to oral care fluid delivery systems, and more particularly to an oral health care implement, such as a toothbrush that is configured to dispense a flowable liquid oral care agent.

Background of the invention

Oral health appliances such as toothbrushes are typically used in conjunction with the same toothpaste used to clean teeth and/or soft tissues in the mouth. A toothpaste or similar oral care product may contain one or more ingredients that provide an oral health benefit to the user when applied by a brushing action via a brushing action, such as removal of the tooth bacteria from the tooth and/or gum surface. Spots and debris, polishing and whitening teeth, reducing sensitivity, reducing bacterial populations on the oral surface, and other effects. However, it may often be advantageous to further dispense oral health benefits by further dispensing one or more additional oral health care products in liquid or fluid form to clean up one's teeth.

Therefore, it is desirable to have an improved oral health care implement that can dispense one of the oral care fluids, such as a toothbrush, while brushing.

Cross reference related application

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 61/299,739, filed on Jan. 29, 2010. The disclosure of the above application is incorporated herein by reference.

Summary of invention

An oral health care appliance such as a toothbrush according to one embodiment of the invention includes a fluid dispensing system capable of delivering an oral care fluid during brushing. The fluid may contain one or more active or inactive oral health care agents.

According to an embodiment, a toothbrush having a fluid dispensing system includes a handle, a neck supported by the handle, a head supported by the neck and preferably including a plurality of teeth cleaning elements, and a A housing coupled to the handle and including a squeezable reservoir for containing an oral care fluid. The fluid of the capsule is conducted through a fluid dispensing outlet disposed in the head of the toothbrush. In a preferred embodiment, the housing is threadedly coupled to the toothbrush grip. The toothbrush further includes a manually actuated pump disposed in the handle. The user of the pump is operative to cause oral care fluid to flow from the balloon to the outlet where fluid is dispensed from the head of the toothbrush. In some embodiments, the outlet can include a plurality of dispensing cassettes disposed in the head of the toothbrush. The fluid dispensing system preferably includes at least two check valves, which in a preferred exemplary embodiment include a valve, each disposed upstream and downstream of the pump.

A method for dispensing an oral care fluid having an oral health care agent from a toothbrush is also provided. An exemplary embodiment of the method includes the steps of providing a toothbrush comprising a handle, a neck supported by the handle, and a head supported by the neck portion, the toothbrush further comprising a fluid dispensing system; A removable reservoir having a cavity is rotatably coupled to the handle, the cavity including a crushable bladder containing an oral care fluid; a user press being fluidly coupled to the fluid dispensing system a resilient convex surface of a hand pump; and dispensing oral care fluid from one of the heads of the toothbrush.

Further areas of applicability of the present invention will be apparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. The detailed description and specific examples of the preferred embodiments of the invention are intended to

The invention will be more fully understood from the detailed description and drawings.

The following description of the preferred embodiments is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the invention.

Descriptions of exemplary embodiments in accordance with the principles of the invention are intended to be read in the drawings. In the description of the embodiments of the invention disclosed herein, any reference to the orientation or orientation is merely for convenience of description and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Relativistic terms such as "lower", "upper", "horizontal", "vertical", "above", "below", "up", "down", "top" and " "Bottom" and its derivatives (for example, "horizontally", "downward", "upward", etc.) shall be interpreted to mean an orientation as described hereinafter or as shown in the figures discussed. These relative terms are merely for convenience of description, and the device is not required to be constructed or manipulated in a particular orientation unless otherwise stated. Such as "attached", "attached", "connected", "coupled", "interconnected" and the like, means that, unless otherwise indicated, a structure is indirectly attached or attached directly or through an intervening structure. Connected to each other, cum movable or rigid attachment or relationship. Further, the features and advantages of the present invention are described with reference to the preferred embodiments. To this end, the invention is expressly not limited to such preferred embodiments, which show a possible non-limiting combination of features that may exist alone or in other combinations of characteristic configurations; the scope of the invention is claimed Defined.

In the description of the embodiments of the invention disclosed herein, any reference to the orientation or orientation is for the purpose of description and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Further, the features and advantages of the present invention are exemplified with reference to the preferred embodiments. To this end, the invention is obviously not limited to such preferred embodiments, which show a partial possible and non-limiting combination of feature configurations that may be provided separately or in other combinations of characteristic configurations; the scope of the invention is claimed The scope is defined.

1 depicts an exemplary embodiment of an oral health care system including an oral health appliance in the form of a toothbrush 100 that includes a self-contained fluid dispensing system, as further described herein. The toothbrush 100 includes a head 102, a handle 103 that is configured to be grasped by a user, and a neck 101 that is configured to couple the head to the handle therebetween. The toothbrush 100 defines a longitudinal axis LA, a distal tip 108 at the head 102, and a proximal end 109 at the grip 103. The handle 103 is generally elongate in shape and includes a distal portion 111 adjacent the neck 101 and a proximal portion 112 adjacent the proximal end 107. The distal portion 111 further defines a thumb segment 110 that is configured for the user's thumb to rest or press against, while the proximal portion 112 is generally configured for grasping by the user's fingers while wiping. The handle 103 can have any suitable ergonomic and aesthetic configuration that is dimensionally accessible to the user. The toothbrush 100 can be formed from one or more suitable materials conventionally used in the art of toothbrush grips, including but not limited to hard and/or elastomeric polymers, rubber, thermoplastic elastomers (TPE), and various combinations thereof. To this end, the toothbrush 100 can be formed in a number of different functional configurations and aesthetic configurations, lengths, and structural changes.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal side cross-sectional view of the toothbrush 100 of Figure 1 . Referring to Figures 1 and 2, the toothbrush head 102 further includes a front brushing side or surface 104, an opposite back side or surface 105, and two opposing lateral sides 106, 107. The shapes of the front and back surfaces 104 and 105 can be substantially planar/flat, curved, or any combination thereof, respectively. In some embodiments, the back surface 105 can include a resilient tongue cleaner and/or other auxiliary or soft tissue cleaning elements (not shown). The toothbrush head 102 can be shown in a top view as having a long elliptical or oval shape in a top view; however, in other embodiments, the desired head 102 can be circular in plan view. The neck 101 can be tapered and generally narrower in the lateral width than the head 102 and the thumb portion 110 in a typical manner to form a smooth transition therebetween.

With continued reference to Figures 1 and 2, the front side 104 of the toothbrush 100 can support a plurality of different tooth cleaning elements 120 that are attached to the toothbrush head 102 by any suitable conventional attachment method used in the art, including but It is not limited to anchor free tufting (AFT) and stapled/anchor in in-mold tufting (IFT). The tooth cleaning element 120 can include a variety of different bristles and/or flexible elastic cleaning and polishing elements. It should be noted that the tufts or elements in the figures may be shown in block form in several figures, and the individual bristle strands are not detailed for convenience and clarity to avoid obscuring other structures on the head 102. As shown in Figure 2, the tooth cleaning elements 120 collectively define an overall maximum height H that is measured laterally and upwardly from the front brushing surface 104 of the toothbrush head 102 and defines an imaginative nominal reference brushing plane. BP. The brushing plane BP is roughly defined by the upper free end of the tooth cleaning element 120 (the lower fixed end is attached to the wiping surface 104) and offset from the front brushing surface 104 of the toothbrush head 102 (with some variation) To allow for a portion of the cleaning element 120 to vary in height). The tooth cleaning elements 120 can be configured in any suitable pattern, and the invention is not limited to any particular configuration, type, and/or number of tooth cleaning elements.

In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, an oral care system provided by a toothbrush 100 will now be described that includes an integrated fluid dispensing system suitable for storing and dispensing a liquid active oral care agent. The toothbrush 100 provides a non-volume, portable and self-contained user-friendly oral care system that includes the user performing a routine oral care treatment including toothpaste and a fluid-based complementary treatment. The components and chemical composition required. As described in more detail below, the oral care system 100 of an exemplary embodiment generally adopts a modified toothbrush form having a refillable and/or coupled with the toothbrush handle 103 in the preferred embodiment. An interchangeable removable container or receptacle 200. In contrast to a separate toothbrush and oral care fluid container or package, since the receptacle 200 is disposed or formed in the handle 103 of the toothbrush 100, the oral care system is advantageously extremely portable for travel, ease of use, And reduce the amount of storage space required. Moreover, since the toothbrush and the dispenser are conveniently combined in a single housing, this convenience is more likely to encourage the user to maintain a routine oral treatment using the oral health care agent while brushing.

Referring now to Figures 1 through 3, the fluid dispensing system is described in more detail. The fluid dispensing system generally includes a removable container or reservoir 200 for storing an oral health care agent, a fluid dispensing outlet 400, and a flow conduit 300 for fluidly connecting the reservoir to the outlet. The fluid dispensing system further preferably includes a first valve 600 and a second valve 700, as will be more fully described herein. The reservoir 200 is preferably disposed in the handle 103. In a preferred exemplary embodiment, the reservoir 200 includes a generally hollow housing 201 that forms one of the removable portions of the rear proximal portion 112 of the handle 103 as shown. The housing 201 is generally elongate and cylindrical in shape and has a configuration that is preferably smoothly integrated into the overall contour and shape of the handle 103 of the toothbrush 100 as shown. To this end, in a preferred embodiment, the housing 201 includes a forwardly facing peripheral annular edge 209 that is shaped and dimensioned to smoothly transition into a complementary annular shape with a complementary shape and dimension. The edge 506 forms a smooth joint between the toothbrush grip 103 and the reservoir 200, as best shown in FIG. In other possible embodiments, a first-order joint may be formed between the grip 103 and the reservoir 200 (not shown).

The housing 201 can have a closed proximal end 109 (defining the same distal end of the toothbrush 100), as shown in Figures 1-3, which in one embodiment can be tapered for the user to swipe in the palm of the hand Comfort. In other embodiments, the proximal end 109 can include an angled surface and/or a flat surface that is generally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis LA of the toothbrush 100. Preferably, however, the proximal end 109 is closed. As further described herein, the housing 201 further includes an opposing open distal coupling end 205 that defines an end sealing surface 206 that is fluidly coupled to the inlet connector 503 of the pump 500. The open coupling end 205 provides a mouth or outlet for dispensing the oral care fluid 203 contained in the reservoir 200.

The receptacle 200 can be removably attached to the distal grip portion 111 via any suitable conventional non-permanent mechanical coupling component including, but not limited to, a threaded connection, a releasable friction or snap fit, or other component . In a preferred exemplary embodiment, a threaded connection can be used as shown in Figures 2 and 3, wherein the reservoir 200 is rotatably attached to the handle 103. To this end, the distal end 205 of the receptacle 200 can include a neck 212 having a reduced diameter relative to a rearward portion of the receptacle and including a male threaded neck end 208 having a male thread, the male threads A complementary rearward-facing female threaded receptacle 207 is disposed rotatably coupled to a distal portion 111 of the toothbrush handle 103. Any suitable thread configuration and spacing can be used as long as the receptacle can be removably attached to the handle 103. In other possible embodiments as contemplated, the distal coupling end 205 can be alternatively formed as a female threaded socket rotatably coupled to one of the male threaded neck ends of the distal portion 111 of the toothbrush grip 103 ( It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that they are not shown and need not be shown). To this end, the invention is not limited to the threaded construction or other configurations described above.

The housing 201 defines a set of internal cavities 202 that are configured to be suitable for storing the longitudinal extension of the oral health care agent as shown in FIG. 2. As further described herein, the oral care agent is preferably one having any suitable viscosity when used. In the form of a flowable oral care fluid 203 that permits application of fluid through the fluid dispensing system upon actuation. The cavity 202 is preferably axially aligned with the longitudinal axis LA of the toothbrush grip 103.

The housing 201 of the receptacle 200 is preferably made of a relatively rigid or rigid non-deformable material so that the user will not inadvertently dispense the oral care fluid 203 prior to the brushing. In some exemplary embodiments, the housing 201 may preferably be made of a moldable hard plastic, more preferably a moldable thermoplastic. Suitable plastics can include, but are not limited to, polymers and copolymers of ethylene, propylene, polyethylene, polycarbonate, butadiene, vinyl compounds, and polyesters such as polyethylene terephthalate. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the housing 201 need not be completely rigid, as long as the user can minimize the likelihood of accidental fluid dispensing when wiping.

Referring to Figures 1 through 3, as further described herein, the reservoir 200 includes a deformable and crushable bag or bladder 204 that, in the preferred embodiment, is disposed in the cavity 202 of the reservoir housing 201 and fluid. It is coupled to the flow conduit 300 and the dispensing outlet 400. The bladder 204 containing the oral care fluid 203 is movable in a dilated condition of a fluid 203 containing a first volume and a second crushed condition of a fluid having a second volume less than the first volume after dispensing. between. The benefits of using a crushable bladder 204 rather than a piston or incompressible container include: because there is no friction between the piston and the housing to overcome, the bladder requires only less pressure from the actuator pump. Additional benefits include: reduced leakage and failure of materials in the bladder.

With continued reference to FIGS. 1 through 3 and with additional reference to FIG. 7, the bladder 204 includes a sealed or closed proximal end 211 and an open distal end 210. The foremost edge of the distal end 210 is preferably annularly sealed to the inner surface of the distal coupling end 205 of the reservoir 200 on the neck 212 (see FIG. 3), and between the bladder 204 and the reservoir housing 201. A leak resistant seal is formed to prevent or minimize leakage of oral care fluid 203 into the cavity 202 of the housing. The bladder 204 can be sealed to the neck 212 by any suitable conventional means used in the art, such as heat or sonic welding, adhesives, and the like. The bladder 204 can have any suitable shape and preferably can generally conform to the shape of the reservoir housing 201.

With continued reference to Figures 1 through 3 and Figure 7, the bladder 204 is preferably slightly smaller in size and/or diameter than the reservoir housing cavity 202 to provide a small trapped space or gap therebetween to allow air to pass through an external vent. 213 entered the number. To this end, the housing cavity 202 preferably has a volumetric capacity that is greater than the volumetric capacity of a fully filled bladder 204. This allows the pressure inside the cavity 202 and around the bladder 204 to be substantially equal to the atmospheric pressure outside the housing 201, whereby the bladder can be at least partially crushed when a quantity of oral care fluid 203 is dispensed from the bladder, as herein Further description.

The bladder 204 can be made of any suitable deformable and compressible material. However, the material selected should be compatible with the oral care agent or fluid 203 to be stored in the bladder 204 and preferably should not be corroded, embrittled by the oral care agent or fluid during storage for a reasonable period of time. Cracking or other deterioration.

The receptacle 200 can be packaged separately or provided to the user or consumer with the toothbrush handle 103. To this end, the receptacle 200 can include a conventional threaded closure (not shown) that is removably attached to the threaded neck 212 of the reservoir. This configuration allows the user to obtain a replacement receptacle 200 containing a similar or possibly different oral care product formulation without having to dispose of the original. To this end, other aspects of the invention include an oral health kit that can include a single toothbrush 100 and at least two or more interchangeable receptacles 200, the single toothbrush 100 having a handle 103, at least two or more interchangeable The receptacle 200 can be attached to the handle and contain various different or identical formulations of the oral care agent or fluid 203 contained therein.

The oral care fluid 203 as a carrier mechanism for one or more active oral health care agents may be any suitable viscosity material from a preferably moderately viscous paste/glue to a lower viscous liquid composition, as long as the fluid 203 is The dispensing system described herein can be actuated, flowed, and dispensed from the toothbrush 100. Any suitable active or inactive oral care agent can be used in embodiments of the invention. For example, oral care agents can include whitening agents including, but not limited to, peroxides containing tooth whitening compositions. A suitable peroxide containing a whitening composition of the teeth is disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 11/403,372, issued to the assignee of the entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire content The tooth whitening agent is an agent that can be used in the present invention, and any other suitable oral agent can be used and stored in the reservoir 200. Possible oral health care agents include, but are not limited to, antibacterial agents; oxidative or whitening agents; sputum strengthening or repairing agents; dental erosion inhibitors; dental anti-allergic ingredients; gingival health actives; nutrients; Anti-staining ingredients; enzymes; sensory ingredients; perfume or aroma components; breath freshening ingredients; bad breath alleviating agents; anti-adhesives or sealants; diagnostic solutions; plugging agents, mouth dry slowing ingredients; used to enhance the activity of any of the above agents Catalyst; colorant or aesthetic component; and combinations thereof. However, the oral health care agent preferably contains no (i.e., no) toothpaste. Rather, oral health medications are intended to provide supplemental oral health benefits in addition to brushing only the teeth.

Referring to Figures 1 through 3, the fluid dispensing system further includes a manually actuated pump 500 for dispensing oral care fluid 203 from the toothbrush 100. Figure 7 depicts an enlarged longitudinal cross-sectional view through the toothbrush grip 103, and Figure 6 is an enlarged transverse cross-sectional view thereof. The pump 500 in a preferred exemplary embodiment can be an elastomeric diaphragm pump including a rigidly fixed base plate 502 mounted to the distal portion 111 of the handle 103 and a relatively flexible and vertically separable separation from the base plate. The elastically deformable elastically actuates the dome 501. A variable form compression chamber 507 is defined between the bottom plate 502 and the actuation dome 501, which defines a compressible volume of the compression chamber. In an exemplary embodiment, the actuation dome 501 can have a portion of an ellipsoidal shape that includes a convex actuation surface 508 that is predetermined to be actuated by a user's thumb or finger to actuate the pump. As shown in Figures 6 and 7, the convex surface 508 can be arched in the longitudinal and lateral or lateral directions with respect to the longitudinal axis LA. When the user is preferably pressed by the thumb to apply an internal pressing force F, the actuating dome 501 having the convex surface 508 can be brought to an unactuated and unpressed position as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. A portion of the bottom plate 502 is moved to and from the fixed bottom plate 502 via a partially or fully actuated pressing position (not shown) (see Figure 7, directional displacement arrow).

The bottom plate 502 can be made of any suitable rigid material, including the preferred rigid thermoplastics described herein for portions of the toothbrush 100 and the handle 103, such as exemplary plastic materials. The actuating dome 501 can be made of any suitable elastically malleable deformable material having a memory permitting dome to be pressed by a user and then returned relatively quickly to its original undeformed shape.

Referring to Figures 1 through 3, Figures 6 and 7, pump 500 further includes an inlet fitting 503 and an outlet fitting 504, as best shown in Figure 7. The inlet and outlet fittings 503, 504 are preferably made of a rigid plastic material. The outlet tube fitting 504 can be a separate component that is secured to an opening 509 defined in the bottom plate 502 by any suitable means for use in the art, such as snap fit, ultrasonic welding, adhesive, and the like. In other possible embodiments, the outlet tube fitting 504 can be integrally molded with the bottom plate 502.

As best seen in Figure 7, the inlet fitting 503 is fluidly conductive to the reservoir 200 and provides a first-class diameter for the oral care fluid 203 to enter the compression chamber 507 from the reservoir 200 (see directional flow arrows). The outlet fitting 504 is fluidly conductive to the flow conduit 300 to provide a first diameter path between the pump 500 and the toothbrush head 103 (see directional flow arrows). In a possible embodiment, the outlet fittings 504 can be assembled into a tubular elbow as shown for coupling to the flow conduit 300; however, there may be any other suitable configuration depending on the shape of the flow conduit 300 and/or It depends on the cloth.

In some preferred exemplary embodiments, as shown in Figures 2, 5 and 7, the flow conduit 300 can be formed from a conventional food grade flexible plastic tubular member. Flow conduit 300 can be routed through toothbrush grip 103, neck 101, and head 102 in any suitable manner. The inlet or outlet fittings used at either end of the flow conduit 300 are therefore preferably preferred as standard commercially available fittings suitable for coupling to flexible tubular members. In other embodiments contemplated, the flow conduit 300 can be formed from a rigid plastic tubular member or formed into an open flow path that is integrally molded with the handle 103, neck 101 and head 102 of the toothbrush 100. The invention is not limited to any particular type of flow conduit used.

The operation of the actuation pump 500 will be described more fully elsewhere herein.

Referring to FIG. 2, the fluid dispensing system further includes a first check valve 600 and a second check valve 700. With additional reference to Figures 7 through 10, the first check valve 600 is preferably disposed upstream of the flow path between the reservoir 200 and the pump 500. The valve 600 can be permanently attached or non-permanently positioned in the distal portion 111 of the inlet fitting 503 or the toothbrush grip 103 in a suitably configured seating surface 505 that is configured to secure the valve thereto. (See Figure 7). In a possible embodiment, the valve 600 is trapped between the end sealing surface 206 of the reservoir 200 (see FIG. 3) and the sealing surface 505 on the handle 103, as shown clearly in FIG. 7, for the receptacle and the toothbrush. A tight leak tight seal is formed between the grips 103.

Referring to Figures 8 through 10, the first check valve 600 is preferably a resilient valve and can be substantially dished or circular as shown in Figure 8. The valve 600 includes an axially movable plug 601, an annular valve seat 602 that is concentrically aligned with the plug 601 and radially separated, and a plurality of radially extending support members 603 that will plug Elastically attached to the seat. The support member 603 preferably establishes an open space or gap between the valve plug 601 and the valve seat 602 to establish a first-class diameter therebetween to allow fluid 203 to flow through the valve when in an open position. In a possible embodiment, the support members 603 can be generally assembled into a S-shaped ligament that surrounds the disc valve plug 602 and is circumferentially spaced. This S shape provides a good degree of flexibility and removable support for the plug 601 while allowing the plug 601 to open for fluid to pass. In a possible preferred embodiment, the four support members 603 can be provided with a member attached to each of the quarters of the valve plug 601. In other embodiments, more or fewer members 603 may be provided. The S-shaped support member 603 can include a first curved section 607 that is coupled to the plug 601, a second curved section 609 that is coupled to the seat 602, and a straight section 608 disposed therebetween, as best shown in FIG. To this end, in the illustrated embodiment, the support member 603 has a section that is radially and tangentially oriented with respect to the valve plug 601 to provide flexibility in at least two or more lateral directions and perpendicular to the valve seat 602. The fluid is passed between the plug and the seat.

With continued reference to Figures 8 through 10, the valve plug 601 can be moved from a closed position shown in Figure 9 to an open position shown in Figure 10 where the flow can pass through the valve. The valve plug 601 can include an arcuate convex sealing surface 604 that engages a complementary configured arched annular concave sealing surface 605 disposed in the valve seat 602 to define a flow opening therethrough 606. When the check valve 600 is in the closed position shown in FIG. 9, the convex sealing surface 604 of the valve plug 601 preferably seats tightly against the concave sealing surface 605 of the valve seat 602 to prevent backflow into the reservoir 200 through the valve. Inside. When the check valve 600 is in an open position as shown in FIG. 10, the flow of the oral care fluid 203 is permitted to pass through the valve from the reservoir 200 to the inlet fitting 503 and the compression chamber 507 in one direction, as indicated by the flow arrows. The valve plug 601 is axially displaced in a direction perpendicular to the valve seat 602 to generate a first-class diameter.

Although Figures 8 through 10 depict a preferred exemplary embodiment of a first check valve 600, other suitable commercially available resilient valve types or mechanical spring actuated type check valves may be used instead.

Referring to Figures 2, 4 and 5, the second check valve 700 in the illustrated embodiment can be disposed on the toothbrush head 102 and nested within the tooth cleaning element 120. The check valve 700 is preferably a resilient valve, and more preferably in an exemplary embodiment a "duck bill" type check valve that defines the fluid outlet of the fluid dispensing system in the toothbrush head 102. 400. Valve 700 preferably has a height that is generally coincident with the height H of tooth cleaning element 120 (see Figure 5). The second check valve 700 has an elongated shape and is configured to generally align with the front brushing surface 104 of the toothbrush head 102 to dispense the oral healthcare fluid 203 in a lateral direction with respect to the longitudinal axis LA. The check valve 700 includes an internal flow cavity 703 and two relatively flexible flexible removable side covers 702 that open outwardly from each other and the valve axis in response to fluid flow and pressure (ie, open position - not shown) And then, once the fluid flow and pressure cease, the recombination is closed again (ie, the closed position - shown in Figures 4 and 5). The second check valve 700 further includes an associated inlet tube fitting 701, preferably made of a rigid plastic material and configured to be coupled to the flow tube conduit 300 for supplying the oral care fluid 203 to the valve. In one embodiment, the inlet fitting 701 can be shaped as an elbow, however, other possible configurations are contemplated, depending on the orientation of the valve 700 and the winding of the flow conduit 300.

The operation of the toothbrush 100 and fluid dispensing system will now be described initially with reference to Figures 2, 5, 7 and Figures 8-10. If the receptacle 200 is provided separately from the toothbrush handle 103 to the user or the user has purchased a refill, the user rotatably screws and attaches the receptacle to the handle. The toothbrush 100 is now ready for use. The dispensing operation is then started with an priming step. When the user brushes his or her teeth, the user presses down and presses the pressure on the variable dome 501 and the convex actuation surface 508 of the pump 500 with a compressive force F, thereby utilizing the thumb The volume of the compression compression chamber 507 is initially priming the fluid delivery system with the oral care fluid 203 from the reservoir 200. Actuating dome 501 and surface 508 are moved to bottom plate 502 (see Figure 7 displacement arrow) and fully or partially crush the dome to squeeze or compress the volume and a second check from toothbrush head 102 Valve 700 urges any air in pump 500 forward and outward. The first check valve 600 remains in the closed position (Fig. 9) and prevents air flow back through the valve into the reservoir 200 and bladder 204.

Next, as the user subsequently releases the thumb pressure from the actuating dome 501 and returns to the unactuated and undeformed position shown in FIG. 7, a vacuum is created in the compression chamber 507. The vacuum causes the valve plug 601 of the first check valve 600 to dislodge from the check valve seat 602 and move away and move the valve to the open position (Fig. 10) and to allow for higher pressure oral care fluid in the deformable bladder 204. 203 flows from the bladder through the inlet 505 into the evacuated compression chamber 507 of the pump 500. The venting opening 213 of the toothbrush grip 103 allows the internal cavity 202 of the grip to conduct to external atmospheric pressure. This allows the volume of the deformable bladder 204 to be partially crushed to approximately one of the volume of oral care fluid 203 dispensed into the compression chamber 507 via the check valve 600. Thereafter, each time the oral care fluid 203 is subsequently dispensed from the bladder, the bladder 204 will continue to partially collapse until its contents are finally exhausted. This priming step is now complete and the oral care fluid 203 is now placed in the pump 500 and compression chamber 507 ready for the fluid dispensing step.

In a subsequent dispensing step, the consumer then again presses down on the variable-form actuation dome 501 and the convex actuation surface 508 of the pump 500 filled with the oral care fluid 203 and presses it inward for the second time (see figure 7). This action increases the fluid pressure in the compression chamber 507 by reducing the volume of the fully or partially crushed chamber. The increased pressure in chamber 507 forces valve plug 601 of first check valve 600 against valve seat 602 to maintain the valve in the closed position (Fig. 9), thereby preventing fluid 203 from returning to deformable bladder 204. At this point the pressurized fluid 203 then flows through the outlet tube fitting 504 of the pump 500 and proceeds past the flow conduit 300 to the inlet tube fitting 701 in the toothbrush head 102, wherein the flow system pressurizes the second check valve 700 Cavity 703. This pressure causes the normally closed second check valve 700 (see Figure 5) to deform and open the side cover 702 to dispense the oral care fluid 203 from the valve to the user's mouth. The amount of oral care fluid 203 dispensed will be approximately equal to the amount contained in the compression chamber 507 of the pump 500.

Next, the user releases the actuation dome 501 and the convex actuation surface 508 of the pump 500. The previously deformed and crushed actuation dome 501 is returned to its original undeformed position as shown in FIG. Once the pressure in the fluid dispensing system is relieved due to the volume of liquid in the compression chamber 507 of the pump 500 being dispensed through the second check valve 700, and the user releases their thumb and pressure F from the convex actuation surface 508, then A vacuum system is formed in the compression chamber to close the second check valve 700 and substantially simultaneously cause the first check valve 600 to be disengaged and opened again (see FIG. 10) to allow the oral care fluid 203 to flow forward again and again The compression chamber 507 is filled. The pump 500 thus returns to the unactuated and undepressed position shown in Figures 6 and 7 and is ready for the next dispensing cycle.

As the actuation surface 508 of the actuation dome 501 is pressed and released in an alternating manner as described above, the dispensing cycle described above can be repeated by the user as desired. This causes the dome 501 to be repeatedly moved to the unactuated/unpressed position shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 to the variable form compression chamber 507 in which the distance and number of actuation domes of the pump 500 are pressed by the user. Partially or completely collapsed (not shown) between the actuated positions.

11 through 16 illustrate an embodiment of a toothbrush 100 having a fluid dispensing system having a second alternative configuration for dispensing oral care fluid 203. The toothbrush 100 is similar in all respects to the embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 10 and described herein, with the main difference being that a fluid outlet 800 comprises a plurality of dispensing ports 802 instead of the previous embodiment A single fluid dispensing outlet 400 in the form of a second check valve 700. Some minor modifications to the fluid dispensing system are described below to account for this change.

Referring to Figures 11 through 14, the fluid dispensing system includes a first check valve 600 and a second resilient check valve 900 of a different configuration disposed in the flow conduit 300 between the pump 500 and the toothbrush head 102. In one embodiment, the valve 900 is preferably disposed in the distal portion 111 of the neck 101 or toothbrush grip 103. Valve 900 provides substantially the same function and operates similarly to valve 700 described above. To this end, the methods for operating the toothbrush 100 and the fluid dispensing system as detailed above are substantially identical in principle.

Referring to Figure 14, the second check valve 900 in one embodiment can have a conical flow cavity 901 and two opposing flexible resilient removable side covers 902 that open in response to fluid flow and pressure (also That is, the open position - not shown), is again elastically closed once the fluid flow and pressure are stopped (i.e., the closed position shown in Figure 14), similar to the second check valve 700 described herein.

Referring to Figures 11 through 14 and Figure 17, an alternative embodiment or configuration of flow conduit 300 is shown that is integrally molded into portions of toothbrush grip 103 and neck 101, rather than as described herein in relation to Figure 1. A separate plastic flow tube connected between the tube fittings of the illustrated embodiment. To this end, the diaphragm pump 500 itself does not include an outlet tube fitting 504, and the outlet is formed as a smooth transition between the variable compression chamber 507 and the flow conduit 300, as best shown in FIG. Pump 500 operates in the same manner as described herein in all relevant respects.

Referring to Figures 11, 13 and Figures 15 through 16, the toothbrush 100 of this embodiment includes a flow plenum 801 disposed between the front surface 104 and the back surface 105 of the toothbrush head 102 that is fluidly coupled to The neck 101 of the toothbrush is wound around the flow conduit 300. The toothbrush head 102 includes a plurality of fluid dispensing cassettes 802 that are fluidly coupled to the flow plenum 801 and extend laterally outwardly through the front surface 104, as best shown in FIG. The oral care fluid 203 pumped by the pump 500 in a manner described herein flows through the flow conduit 300, the plenum 801, and is distributed and dispensed via the multiple dispensing cassette 802 incorporated into the toothbrush head 102 during brushing. To the user (see Figure 13, flow arrows).

Referring to Figures 13 and 15-16, fluid dispensing cassette 802 is preferably interspersed between tooth cleaning elements 120. The dispensing cassette 802 can be configured in the toothbrush head 102 in any number of possible patterns. FIG. 15 shows a possible configuration in which the dispensing cassette 802 is axially aligned with the longitudinal axis LA of the toothbrush head 102. Figure 16 shows an alternative configuration in which the dispensing cassette 802 is dispersed across the toothbrush head 102, with some of the jaws being disposed along the longitudinal axis LA and the other jaws being laterally located on the longitudinal axis LA and the lateral sides 105, 106 of the head. Between, as shown. Other suitable configurations of fluid dispensing cassette 802 may be used depending on the particular design intent to dispense oral care fluid 203 between tooth cleaning elements 120.

Depending on the pattern and configuration of the fluid dispensing cassette 802 used, the flow of the oral care fluid 203 to the dispensing cassette 801 can have any suitable longitudinal and lateral extent as long as all of the crucible can be supplied with fluid. . Thus, in some embodiments, the plenum chamber 801 can extend longitudinally all the way to the distal end 108 of the toothbrush 100 on the toothbrush head 102, such as the configuration shown in Figures 15 and 16, wherein the farthest delivery 埠 802 is associated with the end 108 adjacent. In some embodiments, the flow plenum 801 can have a relatively narrow lateral extent (ie, between the lateral sides 105, 106 perpendicular to the longitudinal axis LA), as shown in FIG. There is no delivery 802 except for the longitudinal axis LA. In other embodiments, as shown in Figure 16, the flow plenum 801 extends from the lateral side 105 to the opposite lateral side 106 and extends from the proximal portion of the toothbrush head 102 to the distal end 108 to supply the oral care fluid 203 to All the tricks. To this end, the flow plenum 801 can have any suitable configuration and range of dimensions, and the invention is not limited to any particular configuration.

The devices and equipment described herein utilize known and commercially available components that are readily available to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the assembly of such components to create these devices and employing the methods described herein without undue experimentation is well within the limits of those skilled in the art.

While the above description and drawings are representative of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, it will be understood that In particular, those skilled in the art will understand that the invention can be embodied in other specific forms, structures, configurations, ratios, dimensions, and other elements, materials, and components without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced with the use of the structures, configurations, ratios, dimensions, materials, and components and many other modifications of the present invention, which are specifically adapted to the particular environment and operational requirements, without departing from the invention. The principle. The presently disclosed embodiments are therefore considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive

Ranges are used in abbreviated form to describe each and every value within the range. Any value within this range can be selected as the terminal for the range. Moreover, all of the references cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. In the definition of the present disclosure, the disclosure is subject to the disclosure.

100. . . Oral care system / toothbrush

101. . . neck

102. . . head

103. . . Grip

104. . . Front brushing side/surface

105. . . Back side or surface

106,107. . . Lateral side

108. . . Far top

109. . . Near bottom/near end

110. . . Thumb

111. . . Far part / far grip part

112. . . Near part

120. . . Tooth cleaning element

200. . . Container/reservoir

201. . . case

202. . . Cavity

203. . . Oral health fluid / oral health care agent

204. . . Bag/sac

205. . . Far coupling end

206. . . End sealing surface

207. . . Female threaded socket

208. . . Male threaded neck end

209. . . Peripheral annular edge

210. . . remote

211. . . Proximal

212. . . neck

213. . . Vents

300. . . Flow conduit

400. . . Fluid distribution outlet

500. . . Pump

501. . . Actuating the dome

502. . . Bottom plate

503. . . Inlet fitting / inlet connector

504. . . Outlet pipe fittings

505. . . Seat surface / sealing surface / inlet

506. . . Peripheral annular edge

507. . . Compression chamber/room

508. . . Actuating surface/surface

509. . . Opening

600. . . valve

601. . . Plug/plug

602. . . seat

603. . . Support member

604. . . Convex sealing surface

605. . . Concave sealing surface

606. . . Flow opening

607. . . First curved section

608. . . wort it

609. . . Second curved section

700. . . valve

701. . . Accessories

702,902. . . Side cover

703. . . Internal flow cavity

800. . . Fluid outlet

801. . . Puff chamber

802. . . Distribution埠

900. . . valve

901. . . Conical flow cavity

BP. . . Brushing plane

F. . . Pressing inward

H. . . height

LA. . . Longitudinal axis

1 is a top plan view of a toothbrush having a fluid dispensing system in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional side view taken along line II-II of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an exploded longitudinal sectional side view thereof;

Figure 4 is an enlarged top plan view of the brushing side of the toothbrush head of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a cross-sectional side view thereof;

Figure 6 is a side cross-sectional view through a middle section of the toothbrush handle of Figure 1, showing a side cross-section of a manual fluid pump disposed therein;

Figure 7 is a partial longitudinal sectional side view thereof;

Figure 8 is a top plan view of one embodiment of a check valve of the fluid dispensing system of the toothbrush of Figure 1;

Figure 9 is a cross-sectional side view showing the valve in a closed position;

Figure 10 is a cross-sectional side view showing the valve in an open position;

Figure 11 is a longitudinal cross-sectional side view of the toothbrush of Figure 1 with a second embodiment of a fluid dispensing system in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 12 is an exploded sectional view thereof;

Figure 13 is an enlarged cross-sectional side view of the toothbrush head and fluid dispensing system of the toothbrush of Figure 11;

Figure 14 is a longitudinal cross-sectional side elevational view of the fluid delivery system of Figure 11 and a portion of the neck of the toothbrush showing another embodiment of a check valve;

Figure 15 is an enlarged top plan view of an embodiment of the brushing side of the toothbrush head of Figure 11 showing the first possible fluid dispensing exit pupil pattern;

Figure 16 is an enlarged top plan view of another embodiment of the brushing side of the toothbrush head of Figure 11, showing a second possible fluid dispensing exit 埠 pattern;

Figure 17 is a partial longitudinal cross-sectional side view, taken through the middle section of the toothbrush handle of Figure 11, showing a second embodiment of one of the manual fluid pumps.

All figures are schematic and not actual physical representations of the objects, components or systems described herein, and are not drawn to scale. The schema should be interpreted accordingly.

100. . . toothbrush

104. . . Front brushing side or surface

105. . . Back side or surface

108. . . Far top

109. . . Near bottom

110. . . Thumb segment

112. . . Near part

120. . . Tooth cleaning element

200. . . Removable container or receptacle

201. . . Housing of the receptacle 200

202. . . Longitudinally extending internal cavity

203. . . Flowable oral care fluid

204. . . Deformable and crushable bag or pouch

207. . . Female threaded socket

210. . . Open remote

211. . . Sealed or closed proximal end

213. . . External vent

300. . . Flow conduit

400. . . Fluid distribution outlet

500. . . Manually actuated pump

503. . . Inlet connector

504. . . Outlet pipe fittings

600. . . First check valve

700. . . Second check valve

H. . . Height of the tooth cleaning element 120

LA. . . Longitudinal axis

Claims (22)

A toothbrush comprising: a handle; a neck supported by the handle; a head supported by the neck and including a plurality of tooth cleaning elements; and a reservoir having a coupling a housing to the handle and including a crushable bladder for containing an oral care fluid, the fluid is conducted to a fluid dispensing outlet disposed in the head; a manually actuated pump disposed therein And a resilient first check valve disposed adjacent to an open distal end of the bladder and an inlet to the pump; wherein actuating the pump causes the fluid to flow from the bladder to the outlet Distributing the fluid therein; wherein the first check valve is dish-shaped and includes a displaceable valve plug, an annular seat that is complementarily assembled to engage the plug, and a plurality of support members, It elastically connects the plug to the seat. A toothbrush according to claim 1, wherein the capsule is crushed by an amount which is substantially equal to the amount of fluid dispensed. A toothbrush according to claim 1, wherein the receptacle housing defines an internal cavity for receiving the bladder. A toothbrush according to claim 3, wherein the receptacle housing includes an external open venting aperture that is substantially at atmospheric pressure to pressurize the cavity to enable the bladder to collapse when dispensing fluid. A toothbrush according to claim 3, wherein the receptacle housing comprises a neck and the bladder includes an open distal end that is annularly sealed to a distal interior surface of the housing neck to prevent removal from the bladder The distal end leaks into the cavity. A toothbrush according to claim 1, wherein the receptacle housing includes a neck having a sealing surface at one end, the end sealing surface compressing one of the first check valves when the neck is coupled to the grip Seat. A toothbrush according to claim 1, wherein the reservoir housing includes a threaded neck rotatably received in a threaded socket on a proximal portion of the handle. A toothbrush according to claim 1, wherein the fluid dispensing outlet comprises an elastic duckbill check valve. A toothbrush according to claim 1, wherein the fluid dispensing outlet comprises a plurality of dispensing cartridges disposed in a front brushing surface of the toothbrush head. A toothbrush comprising: a handle having a proximal portion and a distal portion; a neck supported by the handle; a head supported by the neck and including a plurality of tooth cleaning elements; A removable receptacle threadedly coupled to the handle and including a housing formed of a substantially rigid, non-deformable material and defining a cavity, and an oral cavity disposed in the cavity a crushable bladder of a healthcare fluid, wherein one of the bladders has an open distal end secured to the housing, the bladder fluid being conductive to a fluid dispensing outlet disposed in the head; a manually actuated pump configured in The handle has an inlet and an outlet, the pump includes a depressible elastic convex surface, and a fluid dispensing system includes a first check valve disposed upstream of the pump and a downstream disposed downstream of the pump a second check valve, the system further comprising a flow conduit fluidly connecting the pump to the fluid dispensing outlet; wherein when a user presses the convex surface of the pump, the fluid flows from the bladder to the fluid dispensing outlet And the capsule is partially crushed. A toothbrush according to claim 10, wherein the reservoir housing includes an external open venting aperture that is substantially at atmospheric pressure to pressurize the cavity to enable the bladder to collapse when dispensing fluid. A toothbrush according to claim 10, wherein the first check valve system The dish is shaped and includes a displaceable valve plug, an annular seat configured to engage the plug, and a plurality of support members that resiliently connect the plug to the seat. A toothbrush according to claim 10, wherein the receptacle housing comprises a threaded neck rotatably received in a threaded socket on a proximal portion of the handle. A toothbrush according to claim 10, wherein the dispensing outlet comprises the second check valve which is an elastic duckbill check valve. A toothbrush according to claim 10, wherein the second check valve is disposed in a flow conduit of the toothbrush upstream of the toothbrush head. A toothbrush according to claim 10, wherein the receptacle comprises a neck having a sealing surface at one end, the end sealing surface compressing one of the first check valves when the neck portion is threadedly coupled to the grip Seat. A toothbrush according to claim 10, wherein the proximal portion of the handle is tapered to provide comfort for the user to brush. A toothbrush according to claim 10, wherein the fluid dispensing outlet comprises a plurality of dispensing cartridges disposed in the head of the toothbrush. A method for dispensing an oral care fluid from a toothbrush, comprising: providing a toothbrush comprising a handle, a neck supported by the handle, and a head supported by the neck, The toothbrush further includes a fluid dispensing system; a removable reservoir is rotatably coupled to the handle, the removable reservoir having a substantially rigid, non-deformable material and defining a cavity a housing and a crushable bladder for receiving an oral care fluid in the cavity, wherein one of the bladders is open to the housing at an open end; pressing a resilient convex surface of the hand pump, the hand pump is fluidized Connecting to the fluid dispensing system; and dispensing the oral care fluid from one of the heads of the toothbrush. The method of claim 19, wherein the capsule is partially crushed during the dispensing step. The method of claim 19, wherein the fluid flows through the two check valves disposed in the fluid dispensing system during the dispensing step. The method of claim 19, further comprising pressurizing the cavity of the reservoir to atmospheric pressure.